Country Ham Spread Recipe

I'm a lucky gal. I'm a hop, skip and a jump from Smithfield, Virginia (a.k.a. the "Ham Capital of the World") where I can get real deal smoked, glazed, bone-in, bone-out and salt-cured hams straight from the source. Sitting down to Sunday Supper with a fourteen-pound ham as the centerpiece makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, yet no matter how many times I slice it, I always end up with a huge pile of leftovers.

While casseroles, quiches and grilled ham and cheese almost always end up on the following week's menu, one of my favorite ways to repurpose a whole ham is to whip up a batch of "deviled ham" inspired spread. Instead of using smoked ham, which is most commonly incorporated into this classic mixture of mayo, mustard and spices, I substitute salt-cured country ham and blend it with sweet honey mustard and relish, which gives the mixture a lovely salty-meets-sweet flavor. Try this country ham spread on crackers or fill small rolls for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer platter.

Cook's note: don't add any additional salt to this dish without tasting it first!